Shattered
by Yami Amethyst Rose
Summary: A journey that crosses beyond reality and illusion. She didn't want to believe the world that she entered into; he never wanted to go through something that he experienced as a child to his eternal love. But, the actions done by the illusion will be too much for her, and the process of healing will be a life-altering change for those around them and their bond shall be tested.


**Now, this is absolutely the biggest thing I have ever written regarding a type of story format that I have use way back before I got on here. I just hope that ten months work into the dialogue really helps me. Anyways, it really is dark considering the mood I've been these days, but it's also a side story to the Temptation to Madness saga that I'm writing up. This is also a Silentshipping story, maybe the best one I wrote so far.**

* * *

><p>She was cast into a world that never once even knew who she was to them; the memories of those cherished by her were suddenly erased as if she didn't exist anymore. The family that gave life to this very shy girl no longer knew anything about her, no matter how many times she argued that she was their daughter and sibling. The friends that she made avoided her like she was the plague, along with the people that looked upon her as a love interest.<p>

Now, nothing more was left to give away as snow fell lightly down upon the blackened roads of the city she thought she grew up in. Huddling into a corner, holding herself to stay warm as the temperatures steadily decreased with winter coming into the middle of the season, why was this life given to her? Was it that she tempted fate to defy everything that she wished she was, or could it be that the world she wished for was now the world that she regrets ever shifting into? The girl never messed with supernatural forces, nor did she ever commit a crime in her entire existence!

It had to be a dream, she thought. There was no way that her brother could ever forget the things that he did to save her sight and the very promise that they made years ago before they were separated. Pinching herself on the arms, she opened her eyes, only to still see the snow falling from the dark blue skies. Shaking her head in denial, the girl kept telling herself that this wasn't real! Everything that her life worked up for was thrown away like garbage!

Maybe, she thought once more...maybe it could have been that somehow she might have messed with a relic that she accidentally touched while on a trip to ancient ruins. But, there was no memory of the voyage within her mind and the girl wanted to avoid anything paranormal throughout her life.

Winds were bellowing through the alleyways, as she clutched onto her thin brown jacket to keep herself from fainting from the blustery weather. Where could she stay? Who would even take her in since a blizzard was about to connect with the city? What kind of person would ever show her the slightest bit of hospitality to help her get around? There was so many questions flowing through her mind, but she knew that she couldn't stay in the alley for too long. As she stood up, she held the brick wall for support since injuring her leg three weeks ago slipping on thin ice. Violently coughing with sickness, she saw droplets of blood in her hand, widening her eyes to the reality that this was truly real.

A voice echoed through the skies, only hearable by her, as it spoke to her with a disheartening tone.

"**It is truly a saddening case to see someone of such a pure heart destroyed that of a legendary gem honored by my people for generations. You will be punished by going through a time that no one would be able to even recognize you until understand the severity of your actions!"**

"Please, I said I was sorry! What more do you want from me? I'm already taken too much to my heart; I've learned my lesson!"

"**Such words for one that is desperate enough to escape her sentence. You will continue to suffer under my eyes until what I see will satisfy me and my people!"**

The voice vanished once more, her tears falling from her eyes as she was stuck in this world created by a furious deity over a piece of ancient history that she accidentally destroyed. She wanted this nightmare to end; to get out of the misery that she endured for what felt like months to her. She started limping on the side slowly while holding herself together to head straight for the only person left in her mind that could truly recognized her in an instant...that is, if this world also affected him as well.

"Please...Please let him notice me. I can't bear to survive in this world where everyone doesn't recognize me at all. But, why haven't I seen that one person that should be here in this world?"

* * *

><p>It took her two hours to finally reach the home of her brother's enemy's mansion, hoping to convince him to remember her. The winds were truly picking up fiercely as she held her jacket tighter and walked with caution towards the marbled building. Squeezing through the bars on the metal gate, the girl had to get in to see this one person. She wanted him to know who she was; to escape the dark reality that was brought upon her vision. Holding onto dear life, she knocked on the door as hard as she could, prompt the butler to open with a stoic look plastered onto his face.<p>

"How did you get onto this property? This is a private estate of which **he** does not want anyone who isn't associated with him on a business level to step upon."

"Please, sir. I need to speak to him directly. It's very important for me to see him."

"You and everyone else!"

"What seems to be the problem, Watson?"

"M-Mister Kaiba! This girl got passed the security gates, and I was directing her off the property..."

"Let me handle the girl; return to your post."

"Of course, Mister Kaiba."

The tall brunette man redirected his glare at the girl, whose balance on her legs were starting to weaken from all the standing she was doing and her injury was becoming worse.

"I don't know how you got pass security, but you better leave before I inform the authorities of your presence."

"Don't you recognize me, Seto? It's me...your wife."

"What kind of delusional trick you're trying to pull? I have never been married, nor do I recognize you from anywhere that I have traveled to."

"But I remember our wedding day...our honeymoon...our kids Seto Jr. and Saito...the years that we shared together..."

"Just what I need now; another psychotic fangirl with dreams that'll never come true."

"But I know our future! I know about your past duels, championships, hardships and sacrifices! Seto, please...you have to remember me!"

"...Get your hands off of me!"

Tossing her backwards wasn't too smart on the brunette's end, as the stairs were now officially too slippery and the girl automatically fell down the flight of stairs. But in the midst of the fall, the leg injury snapped a bone completely out of place and dislocated the right shoulder, landing her body face down in the snow. She was completely heartbroken; the only guy that she hoped to remember her was like the same with everybody around her.

"Get up and leave already!"

She stayed silent; how can she get up now with the leg unusable and her arm completely injured and broken with her heart completely shattered? The tears became frozen in the snow, and the brunette wasn't too pleased with her disobedience to his commands.

"Didn't I tell you to get up already? Hey, are you even listening to me?"

Still no words came from her mouth...

'If I leave her out here, the media will hound me for the injuries on her body. Not to mention that Mokuba is already asleep, and he'll question as to why I didn't help this girl. What am I thinking? I don't help the weak; they already stand in my way!'

His conscience with fighting with him once again, and with the night becoming much colder, he ordered a couple of butlers to bring the auburn-haired girl inside to see why she didn't respond to his commands. When his doctors reported that girl needed major treatment to deal with the broken leg and reposition the shoulder bone, along adding that she has a severe case of hyperthermia, the brunette had no choice but to let her stay.

Days had passed, with the girl still unconscious from the painful shattering of her heart. There was nothing for her here in this world; a world that of which she never existed. All of her memories of everything that has happened to her throughout her life were meaningless, and no one can prove that she was real. Her body couldn't even heal properly anymore, yet why does she feel warm? Opening her eyes for the first time, the girl saw that she was inside the mansion. Her body was still frozen from the bitterness of the chilly winds, and she felt the weight of the casts holding her down, unable to even function properly. But why did he help when he doesn't even know who she was? Nothing was here for her to even keep; nobody to love her, and barely any strength to fight the reality of the world that was transformed in front of her very eyes.

As the afternoon rolled quickly by, the door opened to reveal the brunette that took her inside his mansion. He had something to settle with the girl; something concerning the investigation that he ordered in secrecy about the girl's identity. He was clenching a folder in his left hand, as if he was soaking in anger over what he discovered about the girl himself.

"You little liar...Do you think that you can get past me with what you said about yourself?"

"W-What do you mean by that...?"

"These are the results of the DNA test that my doctors performed while you were freeloading my services to you. I know possibly well that Wheeler doesn't have any other siblings! So how can you be related to that lowlife of an idiot?"

"I am his sister! And Joey's not an idiot!"

"Don't play games with me, girl! You can't be his cousin, or any other relative that's under his gene pool!"

"But you have to believe me; I wouldn't come up with such a story if there wasn't any evidence to prove my statements are true!"

He slammed his hand right behind her head on the header, startling her with absolute fear in her already shattered heart. Like lightening, he grabbed her arms and slammed her back onto the bed; her eyes widen at the sight. She was already feeling the pain of her injuries, but to have the man that she loved hovering over her, her head raced like crazy over what he was about to do next.

'He wouldn't...He can't...There's no way that he could ever do this to me...Not after everything...Would he really forced himself...to do the unthinkable...But, that can't be like him...He...He...But I...'

At the last moment, her tears came back into her eyes; crying from absolute denial and her face darkly red from the sudden thoughts coming into her mind. He saw them, and completely lowered his face close to her right ear, with his husky breath blowing onto her frozen body, shivering her insides to the core.

"I want you out of my house by next week. I don't care if you're still injured, there's no way I would take the likes of a nobody into my home."

"But, I can't move my leg at all..."

"Like I said, I don't care about a worthless piece of life that you are."

'Worthless...? Me...? Am I really just in everyone's way?'

The weight of his words were too much for the girl, her hands gripping her head in disbelief, but was it really true? Was her existence worth nothing to anyone? Could it be that throughout her entire life, that she was a burden to all that crossed her path? She refused to believe it! Reality didn't desert her after all what she had done! But, with the way things are right now, it seems that little doubt in her heart could become real itself.

* * *

><p>Two days after the confrontation, she limped all the way into the kitchen holding a crutch under her arm. She saw that the chefs loved to display their cooking knives, taking one into her very hand. Her eyes became shrouded in darkness, clenching the handle firmly in her right hand and placing the left one on the counter itself. With sadness filling her heart, she plunged the sharp blade into her hand, with blood coming out of the now fresh wound. It didn't matter, she thought. This intense pain was nothing to her anymore since no one cares for the girl's well-being, nor even thinks about her very existence. Blow after blow, each wound was wider than the last, but on the eleventh try, she felt a very firm hand holding her back from injuring herself. The girl turned around, to see the brunette glaring right at her from the sight he was seeing just now.<p>

"Have you gone insane? Are you literally trying to injure yourself further so you can stay here under my roof?"

"...What does it matter to you, anyway? It's not like you can hurt me more than you already can."

"What...did...you...just...say?"

"Everything has been taken away from me; what difference does it make if I injure myself more? At least the pain makes it much easier to accept reality as it is."

He grabbed both her arms and slammed her body onto the wall, letting the knife dropped onto the floor, with her eyes looking directly into his very own.

"Don't you ever let me catch you in this very act again, or you'll suffer the dire consequences..."

"Like I said, there's nothing in this world that you can take away from me. Everything that I had is gone, and it'll never come back."

"Why are you talking like this?"

"I'm only repeating your very words: 'I don't care about a **worthless **piece of life that you are.' Isn't that true enough, Seto?"

* * *

><p>Three days after the incident in the kitchen, the girl wanted to take the pain away from herself. Why did he stop her from injuring herself further to ease the excruciating soreness in her heart? He told her in his very own words that he didn't care about her! Even with the many stitches enclosed in her hand, it wouldn't do anything to stop her from torturing herself. Grabbing the extra knife that she held from him and placing it into her jacket, she placed the jacket on and started to head out to the one place that she wanted her very last view to be at before closing the book to this world.<p>

Hours later, the brunette came back from his work and headed straight to the girl's room, but she was nowhere to be found. He panicked; the girl was already in a suicidal state. Not to mention that she came in the direction of where his mansion was, and the media will have a field day about this.

"M-M-Mr. Kaiba!"

"Where is she? Where's the girl?"

"W-We haven't seen her all day, sir! Her room's been empty since this morning!"

"She couldn't have gotten far; that leg of hers is still bent out of shape. Was there anything else that was missing from her room?"

"Other than the clutch we gave her, there was nothing else, sir."

'That can't be right; the girl's suicidal. She had to take something else from here...No, she couldn't have...Damn it!'

"Did you check for any weapons that had gone missing in the past six hours?"

"I-I-I think that one of the chef's knives went missing this morning..."

The brunette couldn't believe it; the girl was willing to kill herself, regardless of the circumstances of her own condition! But, trying to kill herself in public was too risky. Where would be the most probable place that she could...?

_BRRRING!_

*click*

"Kaiba. What's the situation?"

"Mr. Kaiba! A strange woman holding a crutch suddenly burst into the corporation and is heading straight towards the roof!"

"...Get security up there and try to stall her long enough for me to arrive at the company."

* * *

><p>Sunset was setting upon the white-covered city, as her back was behind the edge of the roof, with the knife that she brought with her close to her neck to prevent any of the security members from coming any closer to her. The girl wanted to have a last-minute look at the view that she'll see before ending her life. Her mind was completely shut down from the psychological baggage that was placed down on her body. An angel that has become shattered of her own identity; her thoughts were nothing more of than ending her very existence and leave her soul out of the body that was destroyed by the world her eyes have shown to her.<p>

The brunette arrived ten minutes after the team tried to keep her alive, but couldn't get any closer to prevent the girl from committing suicide.

"Hey, have you lost your mind? Get away from that edge!"

"Seto...You came to see me one last time, huh?"

"Don't be stupid to do such a reckless act! Even if no one recognizes you, you're still a living being!"

"Funny; to think that my husband is trying to console me into giving up my last act of desperation is truly laughable. No one can identify me; I'm just a girl with no name and character. My family deserted me...I have no friends at all, and my only true love doesn't even love me anymore..."

"Stop! Don't you dare say that!"

"I'm a worthless person, am I not? My wings are gone, my body is already incapable of healing and my heart is shattered into dust. Nobody can repair the damage done to me, so there's nothing here for me to even live for."

"Y-You're wrong! There must be something that you can do!"

"The pain...the excruciating misery that this world has caused me...it finally came to me that death can take away all of that unhappiness from me..."

"Stop, don't do this...!"

"I cannot allow myself to continue this suffering any longer...I'll end it all...Goodbye, my darling Seto."

_**SWWISH!**_

The blade ran through her body, blood coming ontoher clothes and on the ground, with her body falling down from the very tall building. The brunette tried to grab onto her, but his hand only touched the sleeve of her brown jacket, leaving him to watch her fall down into the black flames of Hades. However...it only lasted for about two minutes, as a dark shadowy figure grabbed onto her with a furious glare planted onto her face. This pink-haired woman was not very pleased about how the auburn girl was punished, and frankly the vision of her world was nothing more than an illusion.

The spirits, though they carried out their judgment, was not very happy to see the woman that just came to save the girl from certain death. In fact, they were in fear of the female's raging fury.

"T-T-The Dimensional Guardian?"

"You rotten, vengeful spirits! What did Reni ever do to you that she deserved this type of punishment?"

"She broke our most prized treasure..."

"That jewel's been a fake for over sixty years! And yet, you idiots never noticed the difference when the real thief that took your treasure eons ago? Oh, you're about to get punished, in more ways than one..."

"P-P-Please spare us!"

Her vision was very blurry, but she could see the temple walls and her body was still very much damaged from what just occurred to her. She saw her brother, her friends, and her very own family hovering above her...but the most visible of all was when her lover held her close to his very body; his tears flowing down from his eyes.

"Mom, please wake up!"

"Don't die on us, Mommy!"

"Seren, don't you dare cross into the afterlife!"

"...Is this heaven?"

"Serenity, my precious angel. Please, don't ever give up on me!"

"...I'm still alive?"

"You've experienced a very heavy illusion that those spirits gave to you as sentence. But, it was all a misunderstanding now that Amy's clearing things up...in her own sort of way."

"I can't...stay awake..."

"Mom!"

"Mommy!"

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><p>It has been months since her nightmares ended, but it didn't mean that they still continued within her consciousness. Every night, she woke up with her whole body shaking with heartbreaking pain. Every day, she wouldn't be able to talk for hours without reliving the very nightmares of her torture. Her friends became extremely worried about the damage done to her, and her family was really afraid that she'll try to commit suicide again.<p>

The next night, she woke up again and tears were coming down so fast. The girl couldn't deal with the damage done to her soul entirely. Her true love stood up from his side of the bed, wondering what was all the screaming about, and saw that his lover was badly shaken from whatever nightmares that she had since the day that she disappeared from a tourist trip. He held her closely to his body in hopes of calming her down, but the tears continued to roll down her face.

"Serenity, please...Tell me what's wrong!"

"Do you...Do you think I'm worthless?"

"Never! I would never think of such a thing about you!"

"But when I was in that world, you barely wanted to deal with me at all. My whole family didn't remember me, my friends deserted me...and you were my last hope, but you turned away from me."

"Serenity, that was nothing but an illusion! Had it not been for Amy, I would have lost the only woman that I ever loved!"

"Tell me, is this another dream...or is this reality?"

"Would a dream become this intense as this...?"

The brunette placed his lips upon hers so tenderly, but the girl pushed him away; for the anxiety within her heart was still there and she doubted his words so much.

"Stop...Please stop hurting me more than you already have..."

"Serenity, please! Listen to me! You're back home now; everyone remembers you, even your own brother! The kids are already scared of their mother leaving them here all alone, and I would be severely devastated from your death!"

"Then...let me hear the confession from the moment we got engaged. I want to know if this is truly a reality or another dream."

"Serenity...I know that we're from different lives, and your brother doesn't like me. But, the months that I spent with you changed my whole perspective of you. I've never used you to get to your brother; when I was under the weather, you took care of me regardless of what I said to you. You're special to me, and I found that you were a rare jewel that can never be altered no matter how many times someone like me changed it. You know I love you as my wife; and I wouldn't be the same person if you left me from this very world."

"...That's...That's the very confession that I wanted to hear. So...I am back in reality."

_CLICK!_

"Mom, we can't sleep tonight."

"Saito? Junior? What are you two doing here?"

"Dad, we...we don't want Mommy to die from what happened to her!"

"We're...We're scared of losing her forever, Father. Can we be with you guys, just for tonight?"

"You two haven't come to our bed since you were kids, but considering the circumstances, I'll allow it."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Mom, you...you wouldn't leave us, right?"

"I...I don't want abandon the children that I had with the one that I love. Let me hold you two in my arms."

"Father has to be part of the family hug too, Mom."

"I don't remember saying anything like that..."

"Seto, please. I want the people close to my heart be in my arms."

"...I don't want to upset you at anytime, so I'll let this slide for tonight."

"Thank you, Seto."

* * *

><p>"So, how is she doing, Seto-kun?"<p>

"Much better, but I still fear for her safety considering how much Serenity's been through over these past several weeks."

"I see; you're concerned about Reni's recovery path, after going through such an ordeal like that..."

"Amy, do you think that she'll be back to her normal self and start trusting us again?"

"...If you want to take time off from the company to be near Reni, go right ahead. I'll take care of things while you are near your wife."

"Thank you, Amy."

Six weeks prior to the girl's return to her hometown, her lover was talking to his childhood friend to take over his company while he helped her recover from her nightmares. The brunette man was absolutely worried about her current conditions; even his kids were concerned about their mother's health! The pink-haired girl was really hoping that some family time could help her most treasured friend get better to be back to being the person that she met on the first day. After dealing with what was needed to help her childhood friend with his company, the brunette departed for home to be with his wife for what might be weeks.

As he arrived home and stepped into the mansion, the brunette looked around and saw no trace of his wife. He panicked and rushed into his bedroom, only to find his two teenage kids hovering over his true love. What was going through his mind was too much for him to take, but his eldest daughter came over to him and placed her hands around his own right hand.

"Father, it appears Mom's got a nasty fever. We called the doctor to see what he can do, but he said that there was too much trauma done to her mentally."

"Dad...he said that if she doesn't get well enough soon, Mommy might die."

He couldn't believe it; the brunette didn't want to hear what his own kids were saying to him. He didn't want to lose her! He never wanted to go through such an ordeal again!

"Saito...Junior...I'm taking some time off to stay near your mother until she's better, but right now, I want to be alone with her."

"Do you want us to tell our uncles about this...?"

"No; the moment that her brother hears about her condition, he'll rush over here and never let me hear the end of it. Tell only your uncle Mokuba and your aunt Mai; make sure they keep a lid on this matter."

"Okay, Dad."

Once his kids left the room, he sat by his beloved's side, taking her hand and holding it close to his face. The brunette never wanted to leave her side for anything; she was just so precious to him after seeing the resemblances between her and his deceased mother. Opening her eyes to see her husband sitting at her bedside, the auburn girl opened her mouth to speak, but the brunette placed his lips upon hers to show how much he cared for her. They parted, with the woman finally able to speak.

"Seto..."

"You need to save your strength, Serenity. I don't want your chances of recovering go down even further than it already has."

"I know that I'm precious to both you and the kids...and even Joey too...but my soul can't be able to withstand such trauma since what happened over in that place. I still have nightmares each and every night; the more intense it becomes, the more damage done to me mentally and physically."

"I've taken off some time from the company just to be with you and the kids. You need us more than ever going through this ordeal."

"You...you didn't need to do that. I mean, that's your most prized business."

"Serenity...the last time I've ignored a call for help was when Mokuba was still a newborn. My mother was gravely ill and I thought she was going to get better so that she wouldn't leave me. But, I didn't even see her after she passed away in the hospital. I literally wanted to kill myself just to be near her..."

"Seto..."

"It was raining that day when she was admitted into the hospital; I had no idea what they were saying at the time, but it had to be bad news. Once my father learned about my mother's death, he tried to hold it together for both of his sons, but for me...I denied it so much and tried everything to bring her back. Nothing worked, and I almost leapt to my death, had it not been for Amy to snap me back into reality."

"Just like it is now outside...I-I didn't know about that."

"I had nightmares every night that I didn't have her at my bedside; I hit myself for not being a better son to her and kept denying the fact that she was dead. I was shattered of what was my perfect world, and I almost met the same fate as she did, had it not been for both Amy and Mokuba keeping myself detaching from reality."

"Seto...I-I'll stay strong...for our kids. I'll keep fighting until I can't anymore. I don't want to see your eyes filled with regret."

"You know that I'll always love you, Serenity."

"And you'll always be my most precious CEO, Seto."

* * *

><p>~Four weeks later...~<p>

"And once you place this piece right here..."

"Mommy, you're better than Dad at this!"

"Excuse me, Junior?"

"Ah, well...what I meant to say was..."

"Seto, c'mon. You have to admit that your wife's better at something."

"I refuse to acknowledge such a thing."

"Dad..."

"It's no use, Junior. Once your father set's on something, he stays by it. I know, because he controlled everything on our honeymoon years ago."

"Father, is there not one person you're afraid of at all?"

"Your godmother's anger scares me the most. Not even I could win against her arguments and she was quite the authoritarian back in the day..."

"Especially when it came to her 'lectures'."

"Please don't bring that up, Serenity..."

"These past four weeks that you three have spent with me has been the best days of my life. And your father has been, well...at my side for every second of the month."

"Does this also mean that you two been having sex for the past week?"

_PBBBT!_

"S-Saito, me and your mother haven't been in that mood for weeks!"

"Father, I know when you lie; you told the maids to keep me and Junior inside our rooms during the night for the past several days."

"I don't know who you take after more; me or your mother!"

"When it comes to personality, that'll be in your area, Seto."

"I blame my childhood for this! Anyways, shouldn't you kids get ready for school?"

"Dad, it's summer vacation. We don't have any school."

"Not in this household; now get ready for your tutors. They're arriving here within the hour."

"Spoilsport."

Once the kids left the room, the brunette held his wife in his arms, with her head turning around to meet his sapphire eyes; the very eyes that made her fall in love with him. Though, keeping her situation hidden from her brother was hurting her emotionally. The auburn woman didn't want her brother to worry about her more than he already has, but since her mental breakdown four weeks ago, the girl avoided any contact from him to ensure that she was okay enough to see him. The warmth from her husband's hands brought herself back to reality again as she nuzzled against his neck in loving embrace.

"You know, now that the kids are gone..."

"Not gonna happen while they're in this house."

"Serenity, you should know by now that I always get what I want."

_BAM!_

"Alright, Moneybags! I wanna know why you haven't been contacting us about Seren's condition these past couple of months!"

"...You know, we were into a private moment!"

_WHACK!_

"Ow!"

"When are you going to learn that you can't be busting into your sister's moments with her husband?!"

"Mai, I'm a worried older brother and I demand answers!"

"How about your over-protectiveness going overboard and always blaming me for everything?!"

"Boys, cut it out now, for Serenity's well-being! Sheesh, I know you two have bad blood, but don't bring Serenity into your petty arguments every time!"

"That brings up the question: How the hell did you get inside?!"

"Mokuba just came up into the mansion and Joey was waiting outside to bounce inside and strangle you into telling why you haven't told him anything about Serenity. Though, I was against the whole idea after that inevitable incident with Amy on Saito's tenth birthday."

"Please, don't bring that up. It's bringing up back old memories of dread."

"Joey, I'm fine. Seto's been with me for weeks now, and Amy's helping him maintain the company while he's with me."

"But still...why didn't you call me?! I would have been near your side like always!"

"I wanted to be with the one I love and the kids were scared after well...the incident. Besides, you're worry about me too much since I got that surgery for my eyes, and I didn't want you to see me at my worst."

"Serenity..."

"I didn't want to be shattered of my picturesque world with the instability I obtained in that illusion. And I wanted the one I truly love to help me bring back the girl that everyone cherishes as a friend and family."

"C'mon, Serenity. We're also family here; you're my only sibling in this world and if anything happened to you, I...I just can't think about the aftermath."

"Neither do I, but she wants to be close to her own family. If she wants to be with the rest of you loonies, that's her decision to make, not mine. Serenity, do you wish to be by your brother's side at this moment or do you wish to stay by me for a little longer?"

"I...want to be on my own for a few days. Reflecting on what happened to me these past several months will help me bring closure on this matter."

"Fine by me. I'll prepare the vacation villa for your stay over there. Just make sure that you contact us if anything goes wrong."

"I will."

* * *

><p>The breeze of the ocean felt slightly against her skin as she stood on the balcony of the family villa outside the city's boundaries, her eyes closed to reflect on the events of the past and what the outcome will be beyond the future that holds after what she endured from the day that changed her view of everything to what is occurring in the reality that she was living in now. Thinking about the entire incident from the beginning, the girl was truly questioning her very existence with all what she lived for was warped beyond her understanding, almost ending her life had it not been for her best friend who at the last minute saved her from costing her everything. Following that was the most difficult road to recovery she ever went through; from the illusions that she experienced that had her whole family shaking in fear of losing her, to her husband nearly collapsing from the dark thoughts should he lose her, the girl was in the comfort of his arms almost every day, healing her once-shattered soul piece by piece.<p>

Sitting down on the sandy-colored chair on the wooden balcony, taking a sip of her champagne and leaning back to look at the ocean from which she made the very promise to her brother, to the engagement that her husband made in front of her on this very beach, the woman was truly feeling grateful for all the support that she was given by her friends and family. But still, the very turmoil that she experienced in that temple will never go away, still creeping up in her memories from time to time and trying to drag her into the very state that almost cost her the life that was truly picturesque in her eyes. Picking up the phone to reach her husband's private number that was given to her and her alone, the ringing tone came by until she heard the voice that she fell in love with so many years ago.

'_Serenity? What's wrong? Is something bothering you?'_

His voice was that of absolute concern, she thought. The agony of losing his eternal lover was weighing down on his conscience, and she didn't want that happening to him again after learning about what he went through when the brunette lost his mother when he was a child.

"It's nothing. I just miss your warmth so much these past couple of days and since the kids aren't around here..."

'_You don't need to say anymore. I'll be down there so we can reconnect and maybe some pleasure involved...'_

"I'll have the champagne ready when you arrived. Just bring an extra pair of boxers when we're done in the bedroom and shower."

'_You know, you're way more perverted when it comes down to the nasty.'_

"Oh, hush up. You take your time pleasuring me until the morning down and get straight to the point during the shower. I just want to have my only true love here with me without anyone to bother us."

'_Done and said. I'll call Mokuba to see if he can run the company all day tomorrow so that you and me can have that special time together.'_

"The way you're putting it sounds so perverted. I'll see you when you get here."

Hanging up the phone, awaiting her husband to hold her in his arms, the girl was going to become stronger from her experience and will live with a better understanding of the world and wiser than before. The woman that went through a hell beyond her years will not let such an ordeal keep her down on her knees. And until the day she dies peacefully with her husband by her side, the passionate girl will continued to cherish the people in her lives that went all the trouble to help her stand on her own two feet once more.

She will never become shattered again from the perfect world that she lives in.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, reading it now brings me to tears.<strong>

**R&R, people.**


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